And Baby, You Can Sleep While I Drive
by Elske
Summary: Sometimes there's beauty in the breakdown, and sometimes a trip away from the SBPD with the right company will help mend the pieces. Juliet/Lauren Lassiter femslash, with background established Shassie. Each chapter a 101 word drabble!
1. there's a chill in her bones

[[Author's Notes:

I never intended for this idea to see the light of day, but since I got at least a couple people wanting more Juliet/Lauren at the end of "Handcuffed", here it is. Do yourselves a favor: sit down and listen to Melissa Etheridge sing "Sleep While I Drive" before you start this. It's okay, the story will wait. It's not a songfic, per se, but influenced by that. And a bunch of other songs too that will get their own mentions as the story gets going.

Each chapter is, not counting the notes, a 101 word drabble. The extra word is necessary in Elskeland. It's like the downbeat before a song, or the invisible ampersand before everything I say: I swear, my life is a run on sentence. Anyway! Jules/Lauren Lassiter, with established Shassie in the background. Enjoy or don't, and please tell me why either way.

&hearts, Elske]]

"&Baby, You Can Sleep While I Drive"

oo1: &there's a chill in her bones

"Juliet!" Carlton Lassiter breathes, taking his shaking partner into the protective circle of his arms. Her gun's at her feet; the criminal that threatened them is bleeding into the concrete of the parking garage: thanks to a moment of surprise, thanks to Juliet being Carlton's human shield, thanks to the luck that protects all good cops right when they need it.

He can feel her heartbeat, feel the outline of her ribs through her favorite gabardine blazer.

Ribs.

He frowns. "Where's your bulletproof…"

"Forgot it. Forget it." Her eyes are wide and whispers, "Wouldn't it be glorious to die a hero?"


	2. something that's not in her life

"&Baby, You Can Sleep While I Drive"

(oo2. Something that's not in her life)

She's sitting there outside the psychiatrist's office, hugging her knees with her arms, about to tip off of the metal bench.

"It happens to everyone," says Henry Spencer, in his best attempt at a comforting tone. "Honestly, Juliet, it does."

She turns her gaze on Henry. "I didn't want to die, I just…I wanted to be sure Lassie was okay. He has everything going for him, he has the house, he has Shawn, he has that cat called Pineapple…and what have I got, Henry?"

"The force." His answer is instinctively quick.

"And so have I. Everyone forgets something sometimes, right?"

"Right."


	3. greater love hath none

"& Baby, You Can Sleep While I Drive"

oo3. greater love hath none

"Thirty days isn't bad!" Shawn says, trying to juggle two bowls of Apple Jacks cereal and the television remote as he settles onto the sofa. He hands one of the bowls to Lassiter, who looks at the neon-bright cereal with something akin to disgust.

"I worry about her, "says Lassiter, closing his eyes against the thought of it, a sacrifice for the sake of him and Shawn and even Pineapple Cat. _He_ doesn't deserve that kind of love, and what has _he_ ever done for Juliet, and _greater love hath no man than to lay down his life for a brother_.


	4. cause the lie becomes the truth

"& Baby, You Can Sleep While I Drive"

oo4. &be careful what you do cause the lie becomes the truth

Lauren tries to convince herself that she's glad she kicked Raul out, she's glad that all he wanted her for was that green card, she's glad he's got a married woman on the side with two kids of his own . How much a sin is it, being the other woman, if you kick him out of your bed and your life the moment you find out about it (those daughters, both staring at her with_ his_ dark dark eyes and it was enough to make her want to get out her guitar and warm up a chorus of _Billie Jean_).


	5. if you won't take her with you

oo5. if you won't take her with you

Carlton has the idea when he listens to the message Lauren leaves on his voice mail.

He thinks of Lauren, newly divorced.

He thinks of Juliet, bitterly lonely: or so she confessed to Henry Spencer.

He thinks of the scheme Juliet had, the one that shoved him and Shawn together.

And it's not as though he thinks Juliet is a lesbian, but he does think that maybe, just maybe, spending some time on the road with Lauren might do her some good, and so he picks up the phone and dials his sister's number, waits for her to answer, and grins.


	6. hey, jealousy

[[Author's Notes:

Hello everyone and thank you, in advance, for reading this. Special thanks to Amanda for reviewing. :D

The story bits _are_ admittedly short, but I'm trying to get back to a pattern I had a couple years ago where I posted a 101 word bit of a story every single day. I had a bit of backlog to clear out – I started writing this on Valentines day, then abandoned it, then picked it back up – so from here on out just one bit a day.

Don't worry, I'm still working on All of You, as well as putting together the pieces for "Cupcakes Should NOT Equal Murder", the sequel to "Handcuffed". Thank you for reading, darlings!

H&Ks, Elske]]

oo6. hey, jealousy.

Shawn tries to pretend that he's not upset that his spot on the couch has been usurped (and by the person Lassie calls his favorite in the world, at that.)

All right, so he's bitterly upset he's been relegated to the love seat, while a teary-eyed Lauren rests her head in her brother's lap, stretches her bare feet over the armrest of the sofa, spins the engagement and wedding rings (she still wears) in obsessive compulsive nervous circles 'round her ring finger.

"If it wasn't for my documentary, I don't know what I'd have," she says.

"You have us," replies Lassie.


	7. come on  i'm talking to you

oo7. come on – i'm talking to you

The sound of Tears for Fears singing "Shout" suddenly fills Juliet's quiet living room, which can only mean that Shawn is calling her.

Had it been anyone else she wouldn't have answered: in fact, her hand hovers over the phone before pressing the button. "Hello, Shawn."

"Jules! I'm losing my mind."

"Join the club," she mutters.

"Lassie's sister is here. She's driving me insane…she's taken my favorite blanket, and Lassie won't even kiss me when she's around. Take me to lunch, please, because I need to get away from Lady MopeyPants."

"I'm not hungry," but she's reaching for her car keys.


	8. reflections come and reflections go

oo8. reflections come and reflections go

"Promise me it's just temporary. Swear it's just temporary," Carlton says, rather insistently, his blue eyes flashing, his forehead wrinkling.

"I promise, Carlton." Chief Vick reaches out, puts one hand on her Head Detective's shoulder. "You and Juliet are a perfect team, and if anything, her behavior has proven that. Just temporary: you'll be showing our newest detective the ropes, and when Juliet is back to work, you're back together."

Carlton thinks of the last time he had a temporary partner, and cringes, and then a plain-clothed Buzz is in the doorway, waving to Carlton, grinning a greeting of "Hey partner!"


	9. don't wanna be left alone

oo9. don't want to be left alone.

Juliet watches Shawn leave for lunch with Lassie, and there's something almost painful about that, something that she can't quite pin down: if she were romantically interested in either Shawn or Carlton, she'd have figured that out a long time ago.

Maybe she's just envious of what they have, she thinks: one-another.

She sips listlessly at the remains of her peach-vanilla smoothie, turns her head as a sad-eyed willowy brunette enters the coffee-shop, orders an orange and anise scone.

There's something about her eyes, the slump of her shoulders, that makes Juliet think: _that girl might just understand how it feels._


	10. if it eases all her pain

o1o. if it eases all her pain

She pays, then wanders outside the coffee shop: and that girl from earlier is sitting nearby, softly strumming on the guitar she'd had slung across her shoulders.

Juliet looks at the girl and the girl looks at Juliet and smiles, shyly, changes songs mid-verse, eyes locked on to Juliet's, _let her cry, let the tears fall down like rain_, and it's as though she's been given permission.

Her eyes fill with tears and she reaches up with one hand to wipe them away and sits down suddenly, on the edge of a bench because she's too tired to stand up anymore.


	11. and if the sun comes up tomorrow

o11. and if the sun comes up tomorrow

The doorbell rings and it's almost too much effort to move the blanket and the box of Kleenex out of her lap, cross the room to answer it.

"O'Hara. I've been worried about you. You weren't answering your phone," and there's something in Carlton's blue eyes that makes her think of the singer earlier, and she smiles suddenly to herself.

"Out of battery. I'm sorry, Carlton."

"Anyway." He clears his throught. "I brought you something," and he hands her a gun.

She raises one eyebrow. "A gun?"

"I worry about you. Unarmed. It's not safe."

Without arguing, Juliet, accepts the gift.


	12. back someday

o12. back again someday

Things Juliet has done since being found "too crazy to work":

Watched all three seasons of Due South, twice

Shouted "Damn You Benton Frasier" at the TV, for being her inspiration for her (former) idealism

Cleaned her house

Read all the unread books on her shelf

Thought about the singer outside the coffee-shop

Contemplated going back there (over a dozen times in just one day), then realized that would require getting dressed

Ordered digital cable and high speed internet access

Spent too much time turning Carlton's gun over and over again in her hands while counting down the minutes until morning


	13. to get over and be with you

o13. to get over and be with you

At the sound of Lauren's key in the door, Carlton groans, whispers "I'm sorry" against Shawn's lips, before shoving the other man gently out of his lap.

Shawn lands in a sprawl across most of the sofa, narrows his eyes, grabs up his favorite red blanket as if to help him mark his territory.

Lauren sails through the door, slumps to a seat on the living room floor, since Shawn's usurped the sofa, and she sighs.

"What's the matter?" Carlton asks.

"There's this girl, with the saddest eyes, and I need to find her again to make her smile," she anaswers.


	14. she's just a girl

o14. she's just a girl

Shawn is napping – deliberately sprawled across the entirety of the sofa, to avoid having to yield his spot to Lauren The Usurper.

And, ironically enough, it's Lauren herself who wakes him from his nap. He can ignore her poking at his shoulder; her next strategy of getting out the guitar for a Michael Jackson serenade was foolproof.

"Shawn," she says, nudging a framed picture at him. "Who is this?"

"Lassie and Jules," he mutters, sleepily.

"This – this! Is the girl, Shawn!" She clutches the framed picture to her chest. "Please, please say you can tell me where I can find her!"


	15. what'cha gonna do

o15. what'cha gonna do

There are some things Carlton likes about having Buzz as a partner.

He likes the fact that there's no chance of being teased about his taste in coffee because Buzz drinks his with less cream but even more sugar than he does.

He likes the fact that Buzz is always, always prepared: so new to the task he wouldn't dream of forgetting any matters of protocol.

He likes the fact that Buzz has a wife and two cats at home, and wife and two cats trumps boyfriend and one cat, and so he needn't worry about any more courageous lifesaving gestures.


	16. does she know i sing that song

o16. does she know i sing that song?

Juliet stares into her closet listlessly, trying to find something to wear to have dinner at Carlton and Shawn's. Once upon a time, she thinks, before she was too crazy to work, getting dressed was easy.

She reaches into the jumble of clothes blindly, comes up with a pink sundress. Dresses are easy, she thinks, pull it over your head and you're dressed. So that's what she does.

By the time she reaches their condo, she's dangerously close to being late, but she forgets all about that when the door is answered by the sad eyed girl who sang that song.


	17. maybe i'm crazy maybe

[[Author's Notes:

This one goes out to torchil, for being awesome enough to review. :D I'm glad I'm not the only one enjoying this!

H&K's, Elske]]

o17. maybe I'm crazy maybe

Shawn watches Lauren watching Juliet, and it reminds him of the way he used to watch Lassie,and that makes him _wonder_.

"Come on, Lassie, we'll get some glasses," and he snags the bottle of champagne from Juliet's unresisting hand, grabs his boyfriend and leads him into the kitchen.

"Lassie," he stage whispers. "Lassie, is your sister, you know…"

"What?"

"Queer."

"Shawn." A pause. "She's divorced." There's something uncertain in his voice.

Shawn raises an eyebrow. "So are you," he points out, turning to get four wine glasses from the cabinet. "Watch her watching Jules, Lassie. Just _watch_. I think. Yeah. Definitely."


	18. i have given myself away

o18. i have given myself away

Juliet's cheeks are as pink as her dress, are as pink as the wine that she's drinking far too quickly.

"I see you're married, Lauren, congratulations," she murmurs, focused on the rings that the other woman is wearing. It gives her an excuse to reach for Lauren's left hand, turn it this way and that, watching the light catching the ruby and diamonds in her engagement ring. "Beautiful."

"I'm divorced, actually. Well, separated, my lawyer is dealing with his lawyer and then there's the INS and then there's his mistress and his daughters and…it's complicated."

"I'm sorry," whispers Juliet.

"Don't be."


End file.
